


Catharsis

by TheQueenOfWinter



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Lesbians, Literary References & Allusions, Olaf ships Elsanna, Sister-Sister Relationship, Sister/Sister Incest, Theatre, slightly meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-27
Updated: 2015-06-27
Packaged: 2018-04-06 12:32:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4221876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheQueenOfWinter/pseuds/TheQueenOfWinter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olaf has an idea for an event on the first anniversary of the Great Thaw. He recruits some thespians to help him, and soon his idea has Elsa and Anna, along with the whole kingdom, questioning the true nature of their sisterly relationship. Elsanna. Incestuous fluff. Lesbians. Slightly meta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catharsis

All was right in Arendelle. Soon it would be exactly a year since this halcyon state first began, and the citizens had a lot to celebrate. Their beautiful Queen ruled the kingdom graciously, with her beloved sister at her side; her inseparable companion and her constant support. Love reigned supreme throughout the land and everyone was happy, especially because everything had so nearly been lost to them a year ago. But all troubles had been melted with the Great Thaw and everybody was ready to commemorate the miraculous events that had taken place by holding a festival for the whole kingdom to enjoy.

It had been the royal sisters' idea to put on the festivities, because Anna and Elsa enjoyed any excuse to celebrate their newfound happiness. They were happier than they had ever been - neither of them could deny that - yet they both somehow felt like there was something missing from their lives.

For the past year, Elsa and Anna had spent almost every minute of every day together, and even though they could not imagine anything more wonderful after their years spent apart, the two sisters felt like there was something just beyond their reach that would make it all completely perfect.

Neither of them said anything about this, however, and they did not let it impede on their relationship, but both sisters felt that it had something to do with the Thaw. Each girl hoped the festival would help her to work it out, whatever it was.

It was a week before the day of the celebration and Elsa, Anna and Olaf were sitting in Elsa's study, planning how the festival was going to be structured. Everything was going to take place in the castle courtyard and the town square. They had agreed that Elsa would take care of the decorations by creating ice ornaments and sculptures along with freezing the fountains. She would also be in charge of the ice skating at the end of the day that would mark the festival's finish.

Anna was planning the banquet and had made a list for the castle's cooks of the different foods they would have to order and prepare, which was mostly chocolate.

Olaf was trying to think of what he could organise when inspiration struck him.

"I know what I can do!" he exclaimed. "I'll put on a play! It'll bring everyone together and it'll be so much fun!"

"That's a great idea!" Elsa commented.

"Which play do you want to perform?" Anna asked.

"How about one of the Classics we've been reading..." Olaf said, bringing his stick hand up to his non-existent chin in thought. "I'm thinking  _Antigone_ , or maybe  _Electra._ " The sisters had been teaching Olaf to read since Anna's birthday last month, and once he had started, he hadn't stopped. He was currently working his way through the greatest ancient works in the history of literature.

"They're tragedies, Olaf," Anna pointed out. "Nobody wants to see something sad when we're supposed to be celebrating!"

"Well, then what about  _Iphigenia in Tauris_? That has a happy ending."

"No one will know those plays unless they've read a lot," Elsa said. She and Anna had spent most of their childhoods losing themselves in the castle's vast library - separately, of course - so they knew those stories well. "It needs to be something everybody can enjoy."

"But it has to have emotion! Nothing has as much emotion as the Classics!" Olaf insisted.

"Well, think of a play that touched your emotions, but has a happy ending; one that everyone will know," Anna suggested.

A minute or two went by before he answered.

"I can think of something, but it's not a play," Olaf said.

"What is it?" Elsa asked.

"It's what happened last year," he replied. "When Anna was frozen and it looked like everything was ruined, but then the magic of True Love thawed her out! It was beautiful!" He clasped his twig fingers together and sighed.

"Hey, that's it! You can turn it into a play!" Anna said.

"And it's perfect for the Thaw festival!" Olaf jumped up, happily. "I'll start writing it now!"

So that's exactly what he did. Olaf took a seat at Elsa's desk and began to write down his memories of last year's heart-rending and - quite literally - heartwarming events.

Occasionally he asked Anna and Elsa for help with spelling, and for their memories, too. They assisted him, holding hands as they recalled the distressing, but ultimately fortunate experience.

The three of them read through Olaf's work together and the play was complete. Afterwards, the Queen and the Princess left Olaf, now feeling very proud of himself, to deal with the rest of the pageant's preparations and went back to their other royal duties.

A couple of days later, Olaf held auditions for the cast of his production. Finding actors for the supporting cast was easy, but he needed help to decide from those who wanted to play the main roles. And who better for him to ask than the sisters themselves?

Olaf found Elsa and Anna and pulled them by the hands to the Great Hall where the actresses were waiting.

"Come and meet the thespians!" Olaf said excitedly before he opened the door.

"What?!" Elsa asked. She had misheard him and was not ready to reveal her other secret to the world yet after only a year of being an open magic-user, even though her citizens were so accepting.

"Thespians," he repeated. "You know,  _actors_."

"Oh, of course... Lead the way, Olaf!" she said, relieved.

She and Anna followed him into the hall where a number of blondes and redheads were gathered, awaiting the sisters' approval to represent them in the festival. They all curtseyed as the Queen and the Princess entered the hall.

"See? There are just too many for me to choose from!" said Olaf. "They're all great actresses, and they're pretty. But none of them are pretty enough to play you two."

"Olaf, don't be rude," Elsa said to him, before turning to the women in the room. "They're all beautiful," she said, kindly. "We just need to find two who match us the closest." She looked at Anna.

"You find an Anna and I'll find an Elsa!" Anna said, with a grin.

Elsa nodded and went to talk to the red-headed actresses.

Anna focused on the blondes, looking them over, comparing them to her sister, whose features she knew and loved so well.

Eventually she thought she had found a match. The girl was not blessed with Elsa's sublime curves, and her hair was a darker shade of blonde. But she had a certain delicate positioning to her features that Anna was drawn to, seeing a resemblance to her sister in the girl's face, even if her eyes were green rather than Elsa's unique ice-blue.

"What's your name?" Anna asked, giving her a smile.

"Inga, Your Highness," she replied, curtseying shyly. Anna noted that she had a nice voice, not as melodic as Elsa's but a decent match. She would do.

"I think you'll do a great job of playing my sister, Inga!"

Inga's face lit up and she blushed, curtseying again. "Oh, Your Highness, thank you for giving me the honour! I promise I'll do my best!"

"Well, we'd better check with Elsa, first," Anna said, walking towards her sister.

Elsa had painstakingly chosen between the assembled redheads and was talking to one of them. She had no freckles, but the same heart-shaped face and hair colour as Anna. Elsa thought she had a cute smile, but nowhere near as cute as Anna's.

"Anna!" Elsa said, when her sister arrived at her side. "This is Greta, I think she's the most suitable actress to play you."

"Hi, Greta!" Anna said when Greta curtseyed to her. She turned back to Elsa. "I've found your actress, if you agree, too, of course. Her name's Inga."

"Hello, Inga," Elsa said, smiling at the other blonde.

Inga blushed scarlet when she met the Queen's gaze, immediately dropping her eyes and curtseying demurely.

Anna pushed the two actresses next to each other and went to stand opposite them with Elsa.

The two sisters regarded the girls; they were both the same height, unlike Elsa and Anna, but that wasn't an issue, since they both matched well in terms of their facial features, and they looked good together. Greta and Inga smiled shyly at each other; they had already met earlier that day.

"Well," Elsa said. "I think we've found Olaf's leading actresses."

"I think so, too," Anna replied, smiling at her.

"Olaf!" Elsa called. "We've made our decision!"

"Oh, wonderful!" the snowman said, waddling up to them. He looked at Inga and Greta. "Congratulations, girls!"

"We'll leave you in Olaf's capable, um, hands," Anna said to the girls. "Bye!" She linked Elsa's arm and the two sisters walked out of the hall.

"Everyone!" Olaf called to the actresses who hadn't been chosen. "Thanks for auditioning and coming here today, but the roles have been cast now. Sorry, girls! See you at the show!"

The group of blondes and redheads filed out of the hall, looking disappointed, until just Olaf, Greta and Inga were left.

Olaf wandered over to a nearby table and took some sheets of paper from it.

"Here are your scripts!" he said, handing each girl her respective lines and stage directions. "Rehearsals start tomorrow. See you then!"

The girls shared an excited glance before walking out together.

* * *

The next day, the cast of Olaf's play had assembled for their first rehearsal in a deserted courtyard of the castle where a makeshift stage had been set up.

It was only a very short play, but it was intense in its emotions, and Olaf wanted everything to be perfect. He was the director, narrator and also an actor, playing himself, of course. He opened the play by setting the scene and giving some exposition offstage.

Then Inga entered in despair and sank to her knees, closely followed by a young man named Torsten who was playing Hans. Torsten was a good likeness to the prince, but younger, and he had slightly longer hair; he hoped he'd be able to grow those infamous sideburns before the actual performance.

Torsten held up a wooden sword. "With you out of the way and your sister dead, too, Arendelle will be mine!" he announced, punctuating it with an maniacal laugh.

"Hold on, Torsten," Olaf cut in. "You don't have any lines. Just stick to the script! I wrote your directions as 'smile evilly.' Now, Hans is pure evil, but at least he was subtle about it. No laughing."

"Oh. Okay," Torsten said, disappointed he wouldn't be able to show off his practised acting skills in this play.

"Try it again from the beginning," Olaf directed.

They played through the scene again, this time without Torsten's ad-libbing. He raised the fake sword above his head to strike, but then Greta ran in.

"No!" Greta shouted and held up her arm to protect Inga.

Now Torsten had to demonstrate his acting skills by bringing the fake weapon down to touch Greta's hand, but then flinging it, and himself offstage in an imitation of the power of Anna's love for Elsa. He managed it rather well, though with more practice it would be perfect.

Greta, meanwhile, had to stand completely still as if she had been frozen. Olaf had told her to close her eyes so the effect wouldn't be ruined by her blinking.

"Anna!" Inga exclaimed and rushed towards Greta. "Oh, Anna! No, please, no!" she said, gingerly touching the other girl's face.

At this point, Olaf entered the scene. "Anna?" he asked, in sad confusion.

Then in came a blond man leading a pony. The man's name was Ari, and he didn't even have a line. He was playing Kristoff, and he was more of a useless extra in the play than an actor. Ari's instructions were to stand there and look sad. And make sure the pony didn't wander off.

Olaf had been unable to find a reindeer to play Sven; the real Sven was currently ice harvesting with Kristoff and wouldn't be returning until the day of the festival.

Unfortunately, Ari was allergic to horses and sneezed loudly, ruining the scene.

Olaf sighed. "Let's try that again. Without the sneezing!"

"Sorry!" Ari said.

They made it though the scene again, until Inga had to embrace the lifeless Greta.

"Hold on!" said Olaf. "Inga, you're supposed to be crying! Why aren't you crying?"

"I'm sorry!" said the blonde. "I'm trying my best, but it's difficult..."

"Think of something sad," Olaf suggested.

"... I can't..."

Olaf walked up to Inga and looked into her eyes. "Inga," the snowman began. "You're playing Elsa; do you know about her life?"

The girl shook her head, she only knew the basic details.

"When she was eight years old Elsa had to give up everything that was fun, everything she loved, all because she accidentally hurt Anna with her magic. And it wasn't even her fault! Can you imagine that?" Olaf continued. "Imagine spending years avoiding the sister you love. Imagine hiding how you were different to everybody else, and not being able to control the powers inside you. Can you imagine how it felt when her parents died? Imagine being alone and not allowed to go to your sister for comfort. And then having all that responsibility while hiding a huge secret. Then imagine having your secret exposed and being treated like a monster by everyone. And finally, after everything, being told you killed your own sister and watching her freeze solid in front of your eyes, all because of your own mistakes."

Olaf's words had broken Inga and she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"That's more like it!" Olaf said, patting her hand. "Now let's try the scene again."

The only trouble now was that everyone else was crying, too.

Greta cried, thinking about how beautiful it was that Anna decided to sacrifice her own life for her sister; Torsten cried thinking how disgustingly evil Hans was to try and ruin and destroy the lives of two beautiful, innocent young women; tears dripped down Ari's face as he sneezed again; even the pony looked miserable.

"Everyone!" Olaf said. "I'm glad the emotions of the play are getting to you, but save it for the performance! Come on, we have a show to rehearse!"

The cast managed to compose themselves and acted out the play again, until it came to the part where Inga and Greta had to hug.

Olaf watched them, unsatisfied.

"You sacrificed yourself for me?" Inga asked, with her hand on Greta's face, before moving to hold both of her hands.

"I love you," Greta replied.

"No, no, no!" Olaf said. "You're doing it wrong. Where's your passion? There was too much distance when you hugged; you have to cling to each other! And Greta, you've got to really mean your words when you tell her you love her. Pretend she's the most important person in your life! Act like you really love her! And Inga, touch Greta more closely. You'll both have to work hard if you want to impress Anna and Elsa."

"Sorry, Olaf," said Greta. "I'm just not used to... these sort of roles. And my fiancé and I don't normally... do that." She blushed.

"Hmm, you know," Olaf began. "I think I need to set you two some homework. You need to know the real meaning of True Love..." He gasped as an idea stuck him. "I know! Go and do some research. Follow Elsa and Anna secretly when they're spending a normal day together and see how they behave towards each other! It's not spying if you're doing it for the play!"

Greta and Inga looked at each other, somewhat confused.

"Um, okay... We'll do that..." Inga said.

"Good! Now, you can all go, but remember to practise by yourselves. I'll see you at the next rehearsal in two days!" Olaf announced cheerily. He thought the play was going to be a success if everyone continued to put in all their efforts.

Even though none of the actors were getting paid for performing in Olaf's play, they did it out of pride for their country and the privilege to be part of such a significant event. Each one of them wanted to do their best to impress the Queen and the Princess on the day of the show.

* * *

The day after, Inga and Greta agreed to meet up and begin their research into the subject of True Love.

They met in the town, thinking that would be the most likely place they could observe the royal sisters behaving naturally together. And they couldn't exactly just walk into the castle, even if the gates were open now.

The two actresses sat at a table outside a café in the town square and got to know each other while they waited for a sight of Elsa and Anna. It turned out that Greta and Inga actually had a lot in common and they spent a couple of hours in deep conversation and getting refills of coffee from the café.

Inga squealed suddenly and pointed behind Greta. "There they are! I can see them!" she said excitedly.

Greta looked around to see Anna and Elsa walking across the causeway and into the town.

Both actresses quickly finished their drinks and went to find somewhere they could observe the royal sisters without being seen themselves.

Elsa and Anna were spending a regular day together now that the rest of the arrangements for the festival had been passed on to Olaf, Kai and Gerda. They walked hand in hand into the town square and looked around the market stalls. Anna went to admire a watchmaker's stall while Elsa was drawn to a florist's.

Greta and Inga watched as the Queen bought a bouquet of pink roses from the flower seller and then crept up to Anna.

Elsa tapped her sister on her opposite shoulder and giggled when Anna turned in the wrong direction.

"Elsa!" Anna said, scowling playfully.

Elsa brought out the flowers she had been hiding behind her back. "For you!" she said, smiling sweetly.

"Oh, Elsa! They're lovely!" Anna took the flowers and blushed.

"Not as lovely as you," Elsa replied, taking a rose out of the arrangement and carefully threading it through one of Anna's braids, where the rose sat complementing the blush on Anna's cheeks.

Then Anna removed another rose and took hold of Elsa's braid that lay over her shoulder, placing the flower through its gaps.

The sisters shared an adorable moment smiling at each other.

"They are so cute!" Inga said in a high-pitched whisper. She and Greta were crouched behind a wall as they watched Elsa and Anna.

"They're going to the café. Quick, move before they see us!" Greta dragged Inga over behind another wall where they could watch the sisters unnoticed.

A waiter brought each of the royal sisters a large slice of cake and bowed before leaving them to eat in peace.

Inga and Greta observed Anna and Elsa as they chatted with each other and ate, noting their loving glances and how close they were sitting, their bodies always angled towards each other.

Anna took a spoonful of her cake and leaned forwards to feed it to her sister. Elsa took the proffered spoon into her mouth and ate the cake, then reached across the table to stroke Anna's hair and face, letting her hand linger on her cheek.

The actresses noticed that Elsa and Anna didn't seem to talk much from this point onwards; their relationship seemed to be expressed in their eyes and their small but tender touches.

Greta and Inga followed the sisters at a distance and watched them walk around the square, holding hands and looking in the shop windows.

Anna and Elsa put their arms around each other's waists and wandered slowly towards the docks until they stood by the fjord, watching the sunset. Elsa turned to Anna and took her in her arms, holding her close.

Their observers were touched by the passion they could see between the sisters and paid attention to how close they were standing, really clinging to each other as if their lives depended on their bond; Inga and Greta realised that the sisters really did owe each other their lives now that they were more familiar with the events that had taken place during the Thaw.

Elsa and Anna withdrew from their embrace and held hands, gazing into each other's eyes. They didn't need to say anything because words could not convey how much Anna and Elsa each cherished her precious sister. They silently agreed to return home and walked back towards the castle, still holding hands.

Greta emerged from their hiding place, followed by Inga.

"That was interesting," Greta commented. "I think we've done what Olaf said, now."

"Yeah..." said Inga. "So, um, do you want to come to my house?"

"Sure!" Greta replied.

Inga felt relieved, she had worried the redhead would refuse, and really wanted to spend more time with her; Inga didn't have many friends and was discovering that she liked Greta, probably too much considering they hadn't even known each other for a week...

Greta happily followed Inga to her home, learning that the blonde lived alone and had a pet cat. Inga's house was a small wooden building on the east side of town. The window in her kitchen had a beautiful view out over the fjord and Greta sat down to admire it while Inga made her tea.

Inga joined her, sitting in the chair opposite, while they drunk their tea and made small talk.

The conversation drifted to a halt and Inga noticed Greta's hand lying on the table as she absentmindedly watched a ship sailing on the fjord out of the window. Inga thought that if she were really Elsa and Greta was Anna then they would be holding hands right now.

"We should probably practise," the blonde muttered.

"Hm?"

"We should practise... touching. Like Olaf said," Inga repeated a little louder, her cheeks blushing slightly.

"Okay, if you want to!" Greta replied. Her expression was friendly and open, which made it easier for Inga to summon the courage to bring both of her hands to Greta's face, just as she would have to do in the play. Inga also tried extra hard to keep eye contact with her, which she found easier to do now they were alone.

"Your skin is so soft, Greta!" Inga couldn't help saying it, since it was true. And she now realised that Greta had very pretty grey eyes.

"So are your hands, Inga. Much nicer than a man's," Greta said, taking Inga's hands from her cheeks and lacing their fingers together.

"Thank you!" Inga replied. She was struck by how easy she found touching the other girl. Inga had never really liked touching other people before and usually auditioned for non-touching roles in her career as an actress.

Greta thought about her fiancé. In truth, it was more of a friendship than anything else; marriage had seemed like the next logical step to them now they were of age, or so Greta had thought. She was almost never physically intimate with him and was now finding she enjoyed this contact, with Inga, at least. "Shall we try hugging?" she asked.

Inga nodded and the two girls left their seats and embraced.

Inga's heartbeat raced at the contact and she thought about why she respected Queen Elsa so much; Inga was also living with a secret, but not a magical one. She liked women instead of men, yet had never let herself get close to one before, or any person at all for that matter. "It feels nice..." Inga said quietly, resting her head on Greta's shoulder. "Soft and warm..."

Greta thought again about how much better this contact with Inga was than being close to a man. She had a much nicer smell and holding Inga in her arms was softer and much more comfortable. Another thought occurred to Greta and she pulled away. "Don't you think it's strange that they act like that?" Greta asked. "Queen Elsa and Princess Anna are sisters but they're more passionate together than my fiancé and me!"

"No... It's cute!" Inga replied. "They're happy together. That's all that matters."

"I can't deny that," said Greta. "I've never seen two happier people in my entire life!"

"Me neither..." Inga thought that Anna and Elsa were very lucky to have each other; they were truly meant to be together even though they were both women, and sisters.

* * *

It was the morning of the day before the festival and Elsa and Anna were attending the dress rehearsal for Olaf's play. A stage had been erected in the main castle courtyard and Elsa had decorated the scenery on the stage and around the courtyard, as well as altered Inga's dress so it was a copy of the one she had been wearing herself on the day of the Great Thaw.

Inga stood in front of the mirror in the girls' changing tent and looked at her reflection. She was nervous about appearing in front of Queen Elsa and acting out a scene from her life. And she felt very exposed in the dress.

Inga's breasts were much smaller than Elsa's, and Inga had skinny legs and hips, unlike Elsa's shapely curves. Inga's hair had been styled into Elsa's signature braid, and she was used to hiding behind her golden tresses.

Greta wandered into the tent to see what was delaying her friend; she was dressed in a replica of Anna's outfit and had her red hair in twin braids. "Inga, are you ready?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

The blonde sighed and turned to her. "I'm worried, Greta. I know I'm not beautiful like Queen Elsa."

"Don't say that! What about me? I don't even have freckles but the Queen chose me to play Princess Anna, and Princess Anna thinks you're worthy to play her sister," Greta said to her, taking Inga's hands in hers when she still looked unconvinced.

"You are beautiful, Inga. Just in a different way. And I'm proud to be the Anna to your Elsa!" Greta squeezed her hands and the two girls shared a long look.

"Greta..."

"Are you ready?" came Olaf's voice from outside the tent. "We're starting!"

Inga let go of Greta's hands, giving her a smile before she went to start the performance.

Anna and Elsa sat side by side and watched their private showing of the first dress rehearsal. Elsa reached for her sister's hand and held it tightly during the more emotional parts.

Both sisters thought it was slightly strange to see others acting out something from their own lives, and they were impressed that Olaf had remembered all the details. But seeing it performed felt different to how it had felt when they were doing it themselves.

Elsa and Anna would not have admitted it but they both thought that on the stage they looked like lovers instead of sisters. After Anna had thawed it looked like they were going to kiss.

Anna remembered how she had wanted Elsa to kiss her last year, the thought had crossed her mind when she first saw her sister's face again and it had just seemed like the natural thing to do. But Elsa hadn't kissed her, so ever since then, Anna had just been enjoying things the way they were; she had been taking things slowly with Elsa and didn't want to risk changing anything.

"They looked close," Anna said to Elsa once the show was over. "Just as close as the real us!"

"Yes, it's sweet," Elsa agreed, smiling at her. "But I prefer living it to watching others." Elsa pulled Anna by the hand and led her into the town for another session of sisterly bonding.

* * *

Later that day, rehearsals continued and Olaf watched the two actresses closely.

"Good chemistry, you two!" he said to Greta and Inga when they had finished. "You've been practising!"

The two girls glanced at each other and smiled; they had become almost inseparable over the past few days.

"But," Olaf continued. "You know what? I think it needs more... Like a kiss! That's it! I think you should kiss!"

Inga and Greta glanced at each other again.

"But the Queen and the Princess don't kiss..." Greta said.

"Well, maybe they should!" Olaf replied. "Actually, when I watched the Thaw for real I thought Elsa and Anna were going to kiss. Anna looked like she really wanted to; her mouth was open and everything! She leaned in and said Elsa's name like they were the only two people in the whole world, blushing and looking right into her eyes..." Olaf sighed at the beauty of the memory. "Besides," he continued. "Every happy ending needs a kiss, otherwise it isn't complete. Just try it. Inga, after Greta says Elsa's name and you say 'love,' instead of pretending to do magic, lean in and kiss her. Right on the mouth."

"Okay, Olaf..." Inga said, her eyes fixed on her feet, knowing she would have to summon all the courage she had to do what he told her.

Everyone went through the scene again until it came to the point that Olaf had specified.

"Love," Inga said, then paused to glance briefly at Olaf who was looking at her expectantly.

Inga swallowed, then turned to Greta and leaned in, cupping the other girl's face in her hands. She felt a fluttering in her stomach, then Inga just let everything go and kissed the redhead's lips, pressing their mouths together in her first ever kiss. They stayed like that for a couple of moments before the blonde pulled away.

Olaf squealed with joy. "It's perfect! We're keeping it!"

The girls shared an awkward glance and they, along with the other actors, wondered what Elsa and Anna would make of Olaf's last-minute change.

* * *

Finally, the day of the festival had arrived. Every citizen in Arendelle came to partake in the celebrations. The town square and castle courtyard were bustling with activity and full of the sounds of laughter and music from the town's musicians. Merchants were selling their goods and making an excellent profit as people wandered around looking at the beautiful ice sculptures and decorations that Elsa had created.

At midday, the banquet was held and everybody feasted on the delicious food that had been prepared for the occasion. After everyone was full and satisfied, the citizens took their seats in the open-air theatre arranged in the courtyard and waited in great anticipation for Olaf's play to begin.

Anna and Elsa went over to his small tent behind the stage to wish their snowman friend good luck before his debut as an actor and director.

"Hey, guys!" Olaf said happily when the sisters arrived at the tent's entrance.

"Hi, Olaf!" said Anna. "We just came to say 'break a leg' before you start the show... only you don't really have any legs so... just do your best!"

"Thanks!" Olaf replied. "But I'm not worried at all; I  _know_  the play's gonna be perfect! Especially since I added a surprise just for you two!" he added with a wink.

The sisters shared an excited glance and couldn't wait for the pageant to begin.

"We'll see you after the show, Olaf!" Elsa said, and he waved to them as they left, hand in hand, to take their seats on the royal platform amidst the audience.

Soon, the excited murmuring of the crowd quietened down and Olaf's prologue began, reminding everyone that they were gathered here today to celebrate the events about to be performed for them now.

The play went perfectly. Torsten stuck to the script, Ari suppressed his sneezes and Inga summoned her tears, heightened by the fact that she was sad because after the festival she wouldn't have an excuse to see Greta anymore, but mostly because of the beauty of the scene.

Crying could be heard throughout the audience when the actresses recreated the scene of Elsa hugging her frozen sister in despair. Anna and Elsa squeezed hands and felt tears brimming in their eyes. At his seat in the audience, Oaken blew his nose loudly into a polka dot handkerchief as he cried.

Everyone watching felt joy when Inga and Greta acted out Anna's magical thawing and the audience's happiness was perceptible.

Then came the moment of Olaf's "surprise" when the actresses playing Elsa and Anna came together and shared a tender kiss on the stage in front of everyone. They stayed pressed together in passion while the crowd watched in stunned silence.

Inga and Greta broke their kiss and stared into each other's eyes, oblivious to the world around them.

Then the crowd went wild, cheering and whistling, filling the courtyard with almost deafening applause. The citizens showed their appreciation for the two women for at least a whole minute as the actresses looked out at the audience, and the cheering would have continued if Olaf had not turned to face the townsfolk and gestured for them to settle down so he could begin his epilogue.

"Thanks to the beauty and magic of Anna and Elsa's love for each other, we are here in our wonderful kingdom today, living happily ever after. So, dear friends, it is them, our Queen and Princess, you should be applauding, not us." Olaf pointed to the royal sisters on their platform. "Let's hear it for Elsa and Anna!"

The crowd turned as one, applauding and cheering, giving Anna and Elsa a standing ovation.

Elsa and Anna stood up themselves to face the crowd of their adoring citizens. Then they looked at each other, and, inspired by the love and support they felt from their kingdom, but even more by the love they felt for one another, realised what it was that they had been missing. Something had been lifted between the sisters now they had watched themselves kiss on the stage.

Elsa had never kissed anyone before, but her soul drew her to Anna and guided her. She took her sister's precious freckled face softly in both hands.

Anna's heart raced, remembering the moment last year that they had just watched, recreated and enhanced. "Elsa?" she breathed, her lips parted in anticipation.

And this time Elsa did what she knew she should have done on the day of the Great Thaw. She brought her lips to meet those of the girl to whom she owed her life, the girl she adored with her whole being, her beloved sister.

The crowd went even wilder, renewing their cheers, shrieks of joy resounding throughout the courtyard as everyone rejoiced to see the real Elsa and Anna share a True Love's kiss, and the power of the sisters' love was felt by every single person gathered there to witness that wonderful event.

The citizens of Arendelle knew how lucky they were to behold those beautiful sisters, who had been through so much pain in their lives, only to be reunited because of how much they loved each other. Everyone knew that it was a privilege to live in their kingdom. There was so much love between Anna and Elsa, and it made the world a better place.

**Author's Note:**

> There is now a sequel to this by the name of Mimesis, although things get a little more "heated."


End file.
